1. Field of the Invention.
This invention is directed to a housing apparatus for sensitive equipment, in general, and to a shock-mounting housing apparatus which dissipates vibration and shock waves from sensitive electronic and/or electromechanical equipment, in particular.
2. Prior Art.
With the advent of electronic and electromechanical machinery of more and greater degrees of sensitivity, it has become necessary to protect these devices from various and sundry environmental conditions. These conditions include temperature, humidity, light, dark, static electrical charge and, as well, shock caused by mechanical impact.
Many devices and techniques have been used to eliminate or at least significantly reduce the damage or degradation of the product as a result of these environmental conditions.
In particular regard to the shock mounting vibration damping aspects, many devices have been arranged to include impact-absorbent materials on the "feet" of the apparatus. In addition, in many cases the housing apparatus has been permitted to "float" so as to prevent the transmission of the physical impact or shock from a base or support system to the package, per se. In other cases, the contents of the housing apparatus have been permitted to float. To accomplish this, the contents (or inner workings) have been individually shock mounted by means of rubber grommets or the like.
However, each of these known techniques still includes the shortcoming that an undesirable impact or vibration on the housing can still be transmitted to the apparatus mounted therein. Typically, the impact to the housing is in a particular direction which is normal to a plane of the housing and, thus, the apparatus mounted therein. Irrespective of the type of shook mounting known in the past, the shook waves produced by such an impact still tend to pass through the housing in the direction of the impact. This frequently has a deleterious effect on some or all of the items mounted within the housing. Thus, despite all efforts known in the past, the shock mounting devices currently available are not fully functional in the fashion desired.